The instant invention relates to a flavorless synergistic nutraceutical composition which can be added to coffee in its many forms to promote health and prevent disease and/or illnesses. The nutraceutical composition described in the instant invention can be added by mixing the composition with a desired anhydrous coffee before water is added, or by adding the composition directly to the coffee after it is hydrated.
Nutraceuticals, also known as phytochemicals, are natural, bioactive chemical compounds that provide numerous physiological benefits, including, inter alia, disease prevention and health promotion. Nutraceudicals are used to achieve both long-term and short-term health objectives. There are a huge, varied and almost unlimitless variety of nutraceuticals. This application, having reviewed the thousands available, demonstrates a synergistic interplay among the three selected, which are critical, at the ranges selected.
Nutraceuticals supplement the diet. Nutraceuticals can be either purified or concentrated by using bioengineering methods. Nutraceuticals can also be enhanced through genetic methods, which contain elevated levels of natural substances. Nutraceuticals are a low cost nutritional supplement which the consumer can ostensibly use to manage their own health care, increasing or decreasing the use (or frequency of use) thereof as the consumer sees fit, based either on their own perceived needs or on the advice of a medical doctor. Unfortunately, however, most information is unreliable and scant, and the individual is frequently unable to make proper or rational decisions to improve his or her health. The instant invention “takes the guess work out of it.”
Various types of nutraceuticals include isolated nutrients, including one or more dietary supplements or herbal products. Nutraceuticals contain at least one of the following dietary ingredients: a vitamin, a mineral, an herb or other botanical, an amino acid, a metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of these ingredients. Common examples of nutraceuticals include beta-carotene (used to prevent cardiac arrest), ephedra (used to aid in weight loss), ginko biloba (used as a circulatory stimulant), goldenseal (used in the prevention and/or treatment of infectious diseases), valerian (used as a sedative and anxiolytic), ginseng (used for stress relief and restoration of homeostasis), and echinacea (used for prophylaxis and treatment of viral, bacterial and fungal infections).
As demonstrated above, a wide variety of nutraceuticals have previously been implemented in the treatment of various physiological and pathological conditions. For example, Konishi, U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,990 discloses a carbohydrate absorption inhibitor derived from the nutraceudical evening primrose seed. McPeak, U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,739 discloses formulations for treating an inflammatory disease or reducing an inflammatory reaction comprising via a fortified formulation comprising rice bran derivative and a fortification agent. Shashoua, U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,896 discloses a composition using various nutraceuticals to counteract harmful oxidative effects of reactive oxygen species and other free radicals. Giori, U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,426 discloses an extract of the nutraceutical echinacea to strengthen immune defenses of the lymphatic system. Mousa, U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,864 discloses a garlic-derived compound for the prevention and treatment of vascular-related disorders. Hong, U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,950 discloses a composition comprising extracts of the nutraceutical aralia to preven cataract, delay the development of cataract, and treat cataract. Nair, U.S. Pat. No. 6,818,324 discloses an extract of the nutraceutical anthocyanin for pain relief and anti-inflammation. Holub, U.S. Pat. No. 6,784,159 discloses the use of the nutraceutical soyasaponin B. sub. b for the treatment of polycystic kidney disease. Butters, U.S. Pat. No. 6,761,913 discloses an extract of celery seed for treatment and prevention of acute and chronic pain, inflammation and gastrointestinal irritation. Heeg, U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,798 discloses cranberry seed oil for the treatment of burned tissue. Garrity, U.S. Pat. No. 6,703,333 discloses a composition including the nutraceutical mangosteen for improving general health and wellness. Nair, U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,743 describes a nutraceutical composition comprising anthocyanins, bioflavonoids, phenolics or mixtures thereof from cherries for inhibiting oxidation. Cartwright, U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,998 discloses a nutraceutical composition including a tripeptoid component, a flavonoid component, guanidine hydrochloride, .alpha.-lipoic acid, an amino acid component, a brazilin component, catalase, and, optionally, vitamin E ans selenium to maintain normal blood sugar levels and normal levels of non-enzymatic protein glycosylation. Henderson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,349 discloses a composition including the nutraceuticals glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for the treatment and repair of connective tissue.
Heretofore, unknown in the art is the specific, synergistic combination that is disclosed and claimed herein. To the inventor's knowledge, there has been no composition of nutraceuticals that can be added to coffee without undergoing a mechanical process (most suited to large bottlers in the industry), or altering the flavor of the beverage, or losing any potential beneficial effects. For example, Nickolas, U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,358 discloses a process for the addition of a nutraceutical to a beverage by treating a beverage with a sterilizing agent, filling a container with the beverage, and finally adding an amount of a nutraceutical and sealing said container. It has now been discovered that admixtures of specific flavorless nutraceuticals have broad physiological effects and can easily be added to coffee for consumption.
It is thus an object of the instant invention to provide a composition that can be either admixed with ground coffee, applied to unground coffee beans, or added directly to a brewed cup of coffee that adds no negative flavor and improves human physiology without any known adverse side effects.